‘Stockholm’ Trailer: Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace Invent Stockholm Syndrome

As Ethan Hawke storms into a bank, gun blazing and bad wig flying, it’s easy to understand the origins of the term “Stockholm syndrome.” The phrase, which refers to captives developing an irrational sympathy for their captors, was first coined in 1973 after four hostages acted sympathetically with their captors during a bank robbery in Sweden. The upcoming dark comedy Stockholm is based on that story. Watch the first Stockholm trailer below.

Stockholm Trailer

Written and directed by Robert Budreau and distributed by Dark Star Pictures, Stockholm stars Hawke as Lars Nystrom, a petty criminal who disguises himself as a flamboyant American to rob Stockholm’s Kreitbank. He partners with his friend Gunnar (Mark Strong), who was recently released from prison, to take hostages and make ridiculous demands for $1 million and “a Mustang 302 like Steve McQueen had in Bullitt.” But as the hostage crisis wears on for longer, the hostages, including Bianca (Noomi Rapace), start to sympathize and even befriend Lars and Gunnar.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, where I got the chance to see and review it. It’s a raucous and unexpectedly hilarious film anchored by a vanity-free turn from Hawke. Though the film is structured like a classic heist thriller, Hawke’s zany performance and the strong emotional connection between him and Rapace help achieve its off-kilter dark comedy. Plus, Hawke busts out his singing skills once again — after proving that he has the chops in last year’s Juliet, Naked — by singing multiple Bob Dylan songs throughout the film. Honestly, if I was there and the real-life robber upon which this film is based looked anything like Hawke, I would probably have developed Stockholm syndrome, too.

Here is the synopsis for Stockholm:

Based on the absurd but true 1973 hostage crisis in Stockholm that was documented in the New Yorker as the origins of the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. The story focuses on a female bank clerk (Noomi Rapace) who falls for her captor, an unhinged American outlaw (Ethan Hawke) as she turns against the police and aids in his escape attempt.

Stockholm opens in select theaters in New York and L.A. on April 12, 2019 with a national roll-out to follow.

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